Root of all evil

The root of all evil is a common figure of speech signifying something that causes serious problems and people would be better off without. It is also:

• A two-part television documentary aired on Channel 4 in the UK in January 2006, discussing religious faith.
• One of the compilation comic books of the User Friendly webcomics series (alluding the to Unix concept of the root user).
• The first track of the album Octavarium by the progressive metal band Dream Theater

Things that are said to be the root of all evil

• The love of money (φιλαργυρία), according to Apostle Paul (1 Timothy 6:7–10). Often misquoted as just "money". "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."
• Pride according to the apocryphal Apocalypse of Paul, 24.
• Lack of money, according to George Bernard Shaw
• Premature optimization, according to C. A. R. Hoare and Donald Knuth
• In a more literal sense, the characters of Lucifer or Satan in the New Testament and of Iblis in the Quran are described as the propagators of evil, as a result of rebellion against God and banishment from heaven.
• Religion is said by many to be the root of all evil.

See also

• List of famous misquotations
• Pandora's box, a mythological object
• Radix malorum est cupiditas